Donald Trump Pumps the Brakes on Declaring State of Emergency: ‘It’s the Easy Way Out’

AP Photo/Jacquelyn MartinCHARLIE SPIERING11 Jan 2019

President Donald Trump said Friday he is not looking to declare a State of Emergency to fund the wall, despite restating his right to do so.

“What we are not looking to do right now is ‘national emergency.’ In many ways it’s the easy way out,” he told reporters at a roundtable with law enforcement at the White House.

The president repeated that he had a right to declare a national emergency at the Southern border.

“The easiest solution is for me to call is a national emergency, I could do it very quickly,” he said. “But I’m not going to do so fast because this is something Congress should do we are waiting for the Democrats to vote.”
Trump made his comments as many Congressional Democrats left town for the weekend.

Sen. Lindsey Graham publicly called upon the president to declare a State of Emergency on Thursday, echoing many of Trump’s supporters.

Congressional Democrat leaders remain staunchly opposed to giving in to Trump’s demands for funding for security at the Southern border as the partial government shutdown continues for the 2oth day.

“I’d rather not do it because this is something that Congress should easily do, and I don’t want to give them an easy way out,” he said. “I want the Democrats to come back to Washington and vote.”